Induced Fit Theory
by missyme48
Summary: Married life is never plain sailing.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey you guys I am back and this time it's with a request fic for Barbarama who asked for a fic where Julia and William get married and start working more closely together and how that would translate to their home life. So the first 3 chapters are mainly wedding stuff and then we'll get into the case and the ups and downs of married life. Oh and some of you may be wondering about the title; well in biology the induced fit theory is basically the theory that says when and enzyme and substrate meet the enzyme changes it shape slightly to accommodate the substrate and this kind of reminded of a compromise in married life. So with enough rambling here's chapter 1. Enjoy!_

William looked at the suit that was laid across his bed. It had a black morning jacket, a light coloured waistcoat and dark grey trousers. He had saved one dollar a week for it and now all he wanted to do was put it on and get married. Actually, he didn't even care about the suit; he would get married in his pyjamas if he could but he knew that wasn't going to happen until Mrs Kitchen and her great-grandniece, Constance or Connie as she liked to be called, were satisfied every single visible inch of him was properly groomed.

While it was usually the best man who assisted the groom, Brackenreid had told him early on that it was his sisters who had made him presentable on his wedding day and that he wouldn't be much help in the vanity department. When William had told this to the two ladies of twenty-two Ontario Street they had volunteered for the job without a moment's hesitation.

They had woken him up at half eight with Connie shouting from the hallway that today was the day. His usual difficulty in eating Mrs Kitchen's food had been made harder by his nerves but he managed to do it. He then went for a soak in the bath. From there he had cut his nails and shaved. Connie had then sat him down in front of the mirror on his chest of drawers and trimmed his hair. Now, he was sitting patiently as she combed his hair this way and that and listened to Mrs Kitchen complain that his white bowtie wasn't white enough.

"Detective," she said like a scolding mother, "this simply won't do. I'm going to see if I can clean it."

Mrs Kitchen left still muttering under her breath. Connie laughed and steadied William's head. "You are allowed to smiled, Detective," she said. "Marriage isn't a death sentence."

"No, but it can be a ball and chain," Brackenreid said as he entered. He was wearing the suit that was usually reserved for the theatre. His hair had been expertly parted and there wasn't a hair out of place on his moustache. Even though he wasn't smiling at the moment, William could tell that one wasn't too far off. "There's someone downstairs for you Ms Wexler. He said his name was Eoin."

Connie's hand stopped combing. William noticed the flickers of confusion, shock and something that he thought was fear flash across her face like lightning flashes in the sky. She cleared her throat and handed William the comb. Wiping her hands on her house skirt, she walked out; standing unnaturally straight.

"Bloody hell, that was odd," Brackenreid commented.

"Yes, it was," William agreed with suspicion in his voice. "Maybe I should see if everything is alright."

"What in your underclothes and robe? Besides we're starting to run behind schedule. How do you think Dr Ogden would react if you were late to your own wedding?"

As much as he wanted to check on her, he knew the Inspector was right; he wasn't even in his suit yet and the carriage was due in forty-five minutes. Besides, it was broad daylight and the time when people started making their way to work. She would be fine. Brackenreid was right; it was unnecessary.

"I'm still your husband," a man outside yelled. Standing up, William passed it off as one of the neighbours; they were always fighting. That was until he heard Connie's raised voice say back," Husband? Oh, please. It was a marriage of convenience; it didn't mean anything."

"Legally it does," the man replied back.

There wasn't a response. It was silent for a few seconds and then front door opened and was then shut with a slam. He heard Mrs Kitchen say something but the words were lost under Connie's footsteps on the stairs.

"Who needs the theatre, eh, Murdoch?" Brackenreid joked. William didn't find it very amusing. "Well, I'll leave you to get dressed, me ole mucker."

He got dressed as slowly as the time constraint would allow. He fixed the collar on his starched white shirt, fastened the button on his waistcoat and felt the feather light weight of his morning coat on his shoulders. He looked at himself in the mirror. He had never really like formal dress. There was a knock on the door. When he opened it, Mrs Kitchen handed him his bowtie with her lips in a proud smile. She hugged him. After the initial surprise he returned it, wrapping his arms around her thin frame.

"I'm so happy for you," she whispered into his ear. Down the hall, Connie's door opened and she stepped out, she had changed from her old house clothes into a pine green skirt with a matching jacket and white shirt. Her dark blonde hair was coiled into three small buns in a row down the back of her head.

"The carriage to take you and the inspector should be here in twenty minutes," she told them. "You should be at the church about half an hour before Dr Ogden. And make sure the Inspector brings the money for the priest."

"And why are you leaving so early?" Mrs Kitchen asked?

"I want to get some air."

"And this has nothing to do with that man?"

Connie rolled her eyes and left without answering.

As they waited, Mrs Kitchen kept trying to feed William until he declined enough times that she stopped offering. Although, the Inspector did try one of her bake well tartlets which he regretted the second he tasted it. After the offer of food came the offer of tea which William accepted if nothing more than to keep her quiet.

He wondered how Julia was fairing. They hadn't seen each other since Julia had went on her bachelorette party over a week and a half ago. They had talked on the phone but it wasn't the same as actually having her beside him. He didn't like it; not because he was jealous person but because he didn't want anything happening to her. He couldn't wait until they said their vows.

"Murdoch," Brackenreid said, "the carriage is here."


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello guys. I told myself this chapter would be up yesterday but I suck at not procrastinating but here it is. It's long; a lot longer than I thought but I didn't want to split it into two cos I want some leeway to have some of the reception and honeymoon in chapter 3 before we really get into things. So enjoy!_

It all reminded Julia of a beehive; a flurry of activity with Emily complaining about how there wasn't enough hairpins and Ruby acting as go- between between Julia and the servants preparing for the reception in the sister's childhood home. After today, it passed into the hands of her Uncle Albert; Julia didn't want or need it and Ruby was never in the country long enough for it to be of any use to her. So in return for the deeds of the house, he gave Julia and Ruby two thousand dollars each, agreed not to fire any of the current servants. He also agreed to give her away.

"Remember to remind cook that Uncle Albert doesn't like chicken," Julia called as her sister went back to the phone downstairs.

"Julia, keep still," Emily told her. She twisted another piece of Julia's hair and pinned it into place. Julia didn't know how much more of this she could take. Both Emily and Ruby had slept over just to make sure Julia woke on time at quarter to eight. After a small breakfast, she had had a bath and let the warmth of the water take her away, for a few precious minutes, from the wedding madness. Then came the body lotions and almost sticking her head out the window to get her hair to dry. Emily had then started styling and, an hour and a half later, she still wasn't done.

"Emily, is this going to take much longer?" She asked. She brought her hand to the back of her neck to try and rub the crick from it. Emily her hand and placed it back on the blonde's lap.

"If you keep fussing it will take longer," she said and twisted another small section of hair. "Besides, you asked me to do this."

"I know," Julia said with a tinge of regret. "I just didn't think it was going to take so long."

She heard Ruby's footsteps on the wooden floor and started preparing herself for any possibility. Ruby stopped in the doorway, one hand holding the skirt of her dress up. Unlike her wedding to Darcy, where Ruby hadn't worn anything special, Julia had decided to buy her sister and Emily dresses. They both wore the same; a pink dress with puff shoulders and caped sleeves. The neck was held together by a brooch.

Ruby seemed flustered. "The housekeeper was wondering where you left the servants' favours."

"I gave them to Aoife," she answered, referring to her maid who had been sent to help with the reception. Ruby nodded and went quickly back downstairs.

"And we're finished," Emily announced. She retrieved the handheld mirror and positioned so that Julia could see the back of her head in the dressing table's mirror. It was beautiful; an intricate maze of twists that covered the entire back of her head.

"Thank you, so much," she said genuinely as she stood up and hugged her.

"It was my pleasure," Emily replied and returned the hug. "I'll call you when the carriage arrives."

Julia nodded and sat down on the side of her bed. Her palms were sweaty. Whenever she wiped them on her dress another coating of sweat rose to the surface to replace it. Her heart wasn't beating in time, leaving her feeling lightheaded. Was your wedding day meant to make you so goddamn nervous? After a few steady breaths, she joined her bridesmaids downstairs.

Ruby and Emily were engrossed in a conversation Julia half listened to. She was glad they were getting along, though. She had feared they wouldn't, especially when it had come to choosing a maid of honour and George. She didn't know about George but when it came to the maid of honour she had divided the job between them equally.

The carriage arrived punctually at quarter to twelve. Once inside, Ruby and Emily continued their conversation about Ruby's exploits abroad. Emily was fascinated, and Julia could understand why, most of things her sister had done would cause social exclusion in Toronto if a woman even thought about doing them. Ruby told them, in detail, her experience with something called cannabis. From what Julia paid attention to, it left you rather hungry and sounded quite unpleasant.

Ruby kept talking, Emily kept listening, and Julia's mind started playing to her everything that might go wrong; road blockage, church burning down and whole host of other things that a very low chance of happening but still made her nervous. One of the main things: their wedding night. She wasn't a virgin that much the whole city probably knew that by now but William was (unless there was something with Liza he never mentioned) and she found herself worried for him. It could be quite daunting.

She concentrated on the sound of the horse's hooves, a precise sound that gave her focus. She watched the people in the streets go by. To them, it was just a normal day. Emily and Ruby started another conversation about Emily's time in medical school. Ruby was most interested in her time with the 'boys' and Emily was in mid-regaling about one particular man who she said was particularly handsome when they reached the church.

The door beside Julia opened and she accepted her Uncle Albert's hand. He was a sixty year old man, widowed, and had three daughters but only one was still living with him. Her name was Amelia and he tended to keep her on a tight leash which only served to make her skilled at sneaking out and hiding her affairs. He had moved from Toronto to England to attend Oxford and had never returned. He had set up a business with a friend and, when London life got to be too much, he moved to Ireland and became a staunch unionist. Now he had decided to return to Toronto; hence the buying of the house.

Julia hugged him awkwardly. She didn't like him and, as far as she knew, he didn't much care for her either. She stood to the side as Ruby as hugged him. Emily introduced herself, making sure to call herself 'Doctor Emily Grace'. As they shook hands politely, Julia could see every reason her uncle might come up with for women not to have a profession, floating like storm clouds. Thankfully, he stayed quiet.

She begrudgingly accepted his arm and together they walked inside. They waited until the sea of voices gradually fell silent and, then, they started their procession. The sound of her one-inch heels echoed off the tiles and she suddenly felt self-conscious as the guests' eyes all fell on her. She forced herself to look and met William's gaze.

It was powerful.

It was full of awe and love and stole the breath from her lungs. No man had ever looked at her that way before. His eyes drunk in everything: her hair, her slightly flushed face and the dress. The dress was ivory (widows didn't wear white) with long sleeves and a sweetheart shaped neckline. It had a see through lace flower pattern on her arms and on her collar to just below her collar bone. The rest of the dress was just plain charmeuse.

In his eyes, she was beautiful.

Her uncle gave her away and Emily and Ruby positioned themselves on the left side of the altar. The priest started the ceremony but all she could concentrate on was William concentrating on her. He kept smiling at her. The priest finally started the vows and she resisted the urge to protest the 'obey him' part.

"I do," she answered. It seemed silly somehow that such a huge promise was solidified in two little words.

"And do you, William Harry Murdoch," the priest started again.

"I do," William confirmed with that little half smile that made her melt like an ice cream. He slipped the ring on her finger. It was a simple gold band with the date of their first meeting (she didn't know how he had remembered it) and the date of their wedding engraved on it; two of their most defining moments. It was beautiful.

"You may kiss the bride."

She intertwined their hands and leaned forward. Their lips met, cementing a promise that was too big for words. It was like the time he had returned from Bristol, she was so happy she could cry. Margaret was smiling, so was Emily. Ruby had a knowing smile on her face, as if she had seen this coming all along. George, the Inspector and the rest of the men from the station house looked like they wanted to clap.

It was finally done.

"Shall we head to our reception, Mrs Murdoch?" William whispered in her ear. His warm breath landed on her neck and caused a shiver to run up her spine. Whenever he did that, her knees always struggled to keep her standing.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys. First off thank you for reading and reviewing this story; it means a huge deal. So this is the last kind of lead up chapter and next chapter we shall be getting into the main body of the story. Enjoy!_

William had lost count of how many hands he had shook and had lost track of who they had belonged to. They only people he knew personally at the reception were: the Inspector, Margaret, Ruby, Emily, Mrs Kitchen and Connie and they had been the first few to congratulate him. The rest were relatives of Julia and even she seemed to be having a hard time remembering who they were.

"Didn't you invite them?" William asked quietly when Julia got her aunt's name wrong.

She rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen most of these people in years. Besides, Ruby prepared my invite my invite list," she whispered quickly and forced another smile on her face as another of her uncles stepped forward. He shook William's hand and briefly kissed Julia on the cheek. He moved on.

"You didn't make out your own list," he said and then put back on his polite exterior as Julia's Uncle Albert approached. William didn't pay him much attention. What caught his interest was the young lady standing slightly behind him to the left. She was roughly five foot eight inches with a waist made thinner by a corset. She had a pale but healthy complexion with chestnut brown hair and her eyes were green. She raised an eyebrow at him when she caught him staring and then smiled as if that was some form of private joke between the two.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry I haven't had much time but with trying to set up the house. I'm Albert Ogden."

"Yes, sir. It's nice to meet you too," William replied and they shook hands.

"And this is my daughter Amelia." Mr. Ogden introduced her almost as a by the way. Amelia rolled her eyes but didn't make her annoyance vocal. She shook William's hand, still with the same little smile on her face and then hugged Julia warmly.

"Congratulations, Julia. He seems to be a fine specimen."

"He's not a lab experiment, Amelia," Julia said giggling at the same Mr. Ogden said sharply," Amelia."

Amelia rolled her eyes again and kissed Julia on the cheek. She let her father take her by the arm and practically drag her away. Before she disappeared completely into the blur of guests, she winked at them over her shoulder. He suddenly felt quite unsettled. Julia laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"She's like that with everyone, don't look so worried."

He nodded and received the last of the guests. Once finished, he and Julia went to join them in the garden at the back of the house. Tables had been arranged on the grass at either side of the gravel path which ran straight down the centre. Servers walked around with glasses of wine on silver trays. If he remembered the schedule correctly, the meal was to be served in ten minutes and people were already beginning to take their seats. Ruby, Emily, George, the Inspector and Margret were sitting with them at the head table. Mrs Kitchen, Connie, Amelia and Uncle Albert occupied the table closest to them and then came all of the other relatives.

"This is quite the feat Julia," he commented, including the house which had been decorated with more flowers than all the florists in Toronto even had. Any indicators of her uncle moving in ore getting the second floor landing re-floored had been completely erased.

"The servants did all of it," she told him and he smiled. He hadn't met too many rich people who even acknowledged their servants as people, let alone the work they did. They took their seats between George to William's right and Ruby to Julia's left.

Now that the nervous anticipation she had worn like a second skin was gone, Julia participated in her bridesmaids' conversation as if she had never felt anxious at all. William, frankly, was starting to find the whole process tedious. Sure, he had wanted a ceremony but he had also never been one for large social gatherings, especially ones where he only knew eight people out of the lot. All he wanted to do was return to Julia's and…well somethings should not be thought about in public.

"Constance and Amelia seem to be getting on quite well," Julia remarked, nudging him with her shoulder. Indeed, they were. They had moved their seats closer together and were chatting as if they had no each other for years and not just minutes. Amelia's father wasn't at his seat and Mrs Kitchen was observing the two young ladies with an air of annoyance; no doubt still unhappy about the screaming match that had occurred on her doorstep. "You might want to be careful of that; Amelia has a reputation of being with people and being at places she shouldn't."

"And yet you seem to have affection for her."

"Well, I suppose I identify with her on some level." She told him and then went on to clarify, "She wants independence, William. She's just being a tad bit more extreme about it than I was."

"Was becoming one of the city's first female doctors not extreme enough for you?" He teased. She rolled her eyes at him but accepted his soft kiss on the lips just as the food began to be served; chicken in a cream garlic sauce (beef for Uncle Albert who had just returned and seemed to be disapproving of the budding friendship) and mash potatoes. For desert it was vanilla ice-cream. After dinner came the speeches. Brackenreid's was short and to the point, with little or no fuss. George's was a bit longer and he even managed to mention his aunts; well one of them anyway. Both speeches had the same message: it was about time he and her were together.

William couldn't have agreed more.

After more mingling among the guests it was time to leave. They said proper goodbyes to their friends as tomorrow they would leave for their honeymoon. Julia was hugged by Ruby, Emily, Margret and then, to her surprise, George. He was hugged by the same people and then by Mrs Kitchen and Connie. The Inspector settled for handshakes which caused Margret to sigh at him.

The carriage ride back to Julia's house couldn't have ended soon enough for the both of them. Once inside he gave her just enough time to lock the door before he gently pinned her up against the wall.

"Oh, detective," she said seductively wrapping her arms around his neck, "I like it."

He closed the space between their bodies and kissed her full on, in a way that was completely different to how he had ever kissed her before. This time, he wasn't holding back any of the passion inside of him; he was letting his legendary restraint break and the desire he felt for her was surging like a tidal wave through him. She moaned into his mouth which just added fuel to bonfire that had started burning inside him. He moved his lips to her jawline and behind and that spot behind her ear. Her breath hitched.

"May….," she whispered, unsuccessfully. It was hard trying to form a coherent thought let alone a sentence. She tried again," Maybe we should….."

He nodded and kissed her long and hot like a slow burning flame before following her upstairs. When they were both exhausted, they lay silently cocooned in the sheets and their tangled limbs. William was sitting up slightly so that Julia's head was resting on his abdomen. He tenderly trailed his fingers up and down her spine. He didn't know what time it was and he didn't care. They had finally, _he _had finally…..and it was, well, amazing.

"What are you thinking about," she mumbled against his skin. She was still all warm inside. Things had been a tiny bit awkward the first time but after that it had gone…well, spectacularly. It was clear the bible had _not_ been the only thing he had been reading.

"How lucky I am."

She propped herself up on her elbows. "Well, flattery will get you absolutely everywhere, Mr Murdoch."

"I think I've already been everywhere, Mr Murdoch," he said playfully.

Her eyes widened in shock that _he_ would say something like that. Then, she dissolved into giggling and slapped his chest playfully. "We should get some sleep. We have an early start in the morning."

He nodded and lay down beside her. Tomorrow, they started their journey to Paris; the city of love and romance. They would be free of murders and normality. Three weeks of not having to think about anything but them. He kissed Julia's forehead as she laid her head on his chest.

The case that greeted them when they returned was the kind he detested.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey guys! So here is chapter 4 and before I continue a very important message I am having surgery next week(nothing serious) but I'm gonna feel a bit miserable for awhile and I dunno when I'll be able to update. I will try my hardest to have another chapter posted on Sunday but if I don't I will be back as soon as I can. Thanks for reading and reviewing and enjoy chapter 4!_

It had all seemed to begin with three phone calls throughout the morning of William's first day back at work.

The first one happened at quarter to seven and it was Mrs Kitchen informing him that Connie had never returned home last night. He really didn't know what she wanted him to do (Connie did have the rather annoying habit of staying the night with friends without telling anyone) but she had always told him these things when he was still a tenant and he supposed it had become something of an automatic reaction. He reassured that Connie was fine, promised to keep an eye out for her and hung up.

"What was that all about?" Julia asked pausing on the stairs. While in Paris he had gotten used to the more casual (well as casual as women's clothing could ever get) dresses she had worn but now she was back to having inch of herself covered bar her hands and face. It was a shame really though the lavender of her shirt did complement her skin nicely.

"Constance never returned last night; Mrs Kitchen was just informing me."

"Well does she think Constance is hurt?"

"No. She'll be back by lunch."

Julia nodded and headed into the dining room for breakfast.

The second call happened about a half an hour later just as the table was being cleared by Julia's maid. He excused himself and answered it.

"Ah, sir," George greeted brightly. Too brightly.

"Good morning, George. What's happening?"

"Well, Higgins told me to call you and tell you that there's someone in the holding cells who's asking for you."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. He didn't say."

"Why not?"

George told him he didn't know the answer to that either and then offered to check who it was. William told him not to as he would be arriving at the station shortly. When he turned to go back to the dining room, Julia was leaning against the door frame, her arms folded.

"You seem quite popular this morning. Should I be worried?" She teased. She closed the gap between them and her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist.

"Absolutely not."

He kissed her and then he kissed her again because he could. He could feel her melt under him but as much as he would have loved to turn her into a puddle, they were back firmly in reality and they both jobs to go to. He pulled back and kissed her on the forehead before retrieving his hat from th stand in the hallway.

"I shall see you later."

"Why of course, Detective."

He laughed and kissed her one final time. His cycle to the newly refurbished station house was peaceful; he loved watching the city come live in the mornings. He also liked to use the time to think. Thankfully there wasn't too much to think about this morning except the person who was in the holding cell but he didn't really worry too much about it.

He dismounted at the station and tied his bike to a pole. Inside, he collected his new messages from the desk sergeant and hung his hat up in his office. He then went to see who the mysterious prisoner was. When he entered the holding cells, he was momentarily surprised. For some reason he had been expecting to see a man waiting for him and not two women but then he recognised the dark blonde hair. He sighed.

It was Connie.

She had managed to get herself locked up and she wasn't alone. In the cell beside her there was another young woman with familiar chestnut brown hair. _What a great way to start your morning,_ he thought to himself.

Connie he could understand; she had a habit for of frequenting illegal speakeasies. Amelia, not as much, mostly because he didn't understand how someone who was still new in Toronto could find trouble that easily, regardless of what she had been like living in Dublin. But the two of them together on the same night? That he was sure should've been almost impossible; yet here they were. Maybe he should have taken Julia's warning at the reception a little more seriously after all.

He announced his presence by clearing his throat. Connie looked both relieved and anxious at the same time. Amelia didn't seem to care at all; in fact, he could've sworn there was even a shadow of a smile on her pale face. No doubt she had great faith in her father's money to get her out of the current situation. _Wait until Julia learns her dear cousin has been arrested,_ he said sourly in his head. He kept his face neutral and walked slowly down the central aisle. Connie wouldn't meet his eyes but Amelia was staring straight at him, one eyebrow raised. She was brazen, he would give her that. She also seemed to have no sense of consequences.

"Now which one of you is going to tell me why you are here?"

Connie bit her lip but didn't speak. She sent Amelia an urgent glance which he roughly translated into: _Well, go on tell him._

"I put a brick through an alderman's window," Amelia explained calmly; almost nonchalantly. William resisted the urge to sigh and asked her why.

"She didn't like his speech on the issue of giving women the right to vote," Connie explained. Even she seemed to be tiring of Amelia at that moment. This time, he did sigh. "I just happened to be with her when she did it."

Amelia snorted. "You didn't like it either."

"Well, I was never going to throw a brick through his window!"

It was at this time the third phone call happened. The desk sergeant had answered it and had then told George who had turn came to fetch him with the announcement, "Sir, there's been a body found."

And here was thinking the day couldn't get any worse. He nodded and told the two women to stop bickering and that they were going to remain here until he came back at least.

The body had been found in an alleyway between the _Emerald Isle _and _The Bear_, two legal yet less than reputable pubs heading towards the docks. The deceased was male, early to mid-twenties with brown hair. His clothes were common to someone who was not in well paid employment. He was lying face upwards with a single bullet wound I his chest which Dr Grace said was most likely the cause of death.

"May I take the body now?" She asked brushing off her skirts. He nodded and scanned his eyes around the area. The alleyway was narrow and, at night, William thought it would have been almost pitch black. He though it odd no-one had heard the gunshot but he knew the pubs which bordered the alley tended to produce quite a bit of noise.

"George, I'm going to need to talk to the owners of these establishments and anyone who was there last night, if you can track them down."

George nodded and seemed to disappear. Murdoch looked around again and spotted the Inspector arriving. He waved him over but the body the attendants were carrying looked like it took all of his attention. After letting out a 'bloody hell' he waved William over.

"What is it, sir?"

"What is it?" Brackenreid repeated, almost like he couldn't believe William didn't understand what was going on. "This is the man Constance had the argument with on the day of your bloody wedding."

William resisted the urge to groan.


	5. notes

hey you guys! So I know doesn't really like when you do this but I couldn't leave it any longer to give you guys on update on the situatuion of the fic. First off the fic will be continued it's just in the grand confusion that is life, I managed to lose my story notes so while I try and find them and work from memory my writing process has been slowed down completely.

I really do hope to have a new chapter by next tuesday or wedensday with everything going to plan.

thank you guys so much for your patience! :)


	6. Chapter 5

**Ok, next time I take this long to update can someone please slap me? I don't know what happened to me but I'm so sorry for the huge delay in this but I'm back now and hope to be more regular with my updates, the only thing is I'm back in school now so I will have less time but I'm not going to abandon this. Anyway...I'm hugely sorry! **

Connie left her half eaten bowl of porridge on the ground and drew her knees up to her chest. She worried that there might be a rule against shoes on the bed but a second later she stopped caring. She just wanted a minute, just one single minute, where she could pretend she wasn't sitting in a jail cell. She rested her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes.

_Three weeks ago..._

_The Emerald Isle was busy, as it always was on Saturdays, filled with people spending too much of their too little money on a liquid good time. Connie had found Eoin sitting at the back of the pub with a woman who looked like a doxie sitting almost on his lap but there was something off about how the two of them were acting. Connie made her through the people and sat down without a word. The prostitute gave her the once over but didn't say anything, Eoin sent her away before she could._

_"The day you come and ask me to go back to Montreal with you, you hire a prostitute," she said and rolled her eyes._

_"It's not like that, " Eoin replied quickly. She raised her eyebrows but Eoin didn't continue explaining. "I was surprised you came."_

_"You're a fool, " she said sharply. "You should never have just shown up here. How did you even find me?"_

_"I saw your name in the newspaper; the review for Much Ado About Nothing. Then I asked people."_

_She tossed back a glass of whiskey the waitress had brought her while they were speaking and banged the glass on the table. "Why?"_

_"Vancouver didn't work."_

_"Well this isn't going to-"_

"Are you asleep?" Amelia's voice cut through her memory. Connie raised her head but didn't say anything. She denied the fact that she still felt anything.

It was eleven before William returned to the station. Initial inquiries with the bartenders and owners of the each bar had provided nothing useful and the preliminary post-mortem had confirmed what they already knew, Eoin was shot. William took off his hat and coat and hung them on the stand. Picking up a piece of chalk, he started writing up what little they knew on the murder board. Somewhere in between doing this and and trying to form a theory from nothing, Julia had arrived and she stood in the open doorway, watching him.

"Shouldn't you get more evidence before you try to solve it?"

William smiled at the teasing tone in her voice before turning around. "And, where does one suggest I get this information, Julia?"

"You're the detective," she told him playfully, walking towards him. She kissed him softly before sitting on the edge of his desk. "What are you working on?"

"A man was killed between two pubs about a mile from the docks. None of the bartenders remember seeing him."

"Has anyone reported him missing?" Julia asked. William looked at her her and then back at the blackboard. He was hesitating. "William? Is everything alright?"

He sighed. "I never told you this, Julia, but on our wedding day Ms Wexler had a fight with a man on Mrs Kitchen's doorstep. I didn't see him but the Inspector did and he says that the man who was killed...

...Was the man murdered," Julia finished. William nodded. "Have you told her?"

"Not yet," he admitted.

"Well, you can't keep this from her."

William nodded. Julia stood up from the desk and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He relaxed against her and rested his head on her shoulder. In this moment, he felt calm and at peace; the case didn't matter, the two women in the cells didn't matter, none of it; and it still amazed him how Julia could do that.

"Now, she said, releasing him, "Where's Ms Wexler?"

"In the cells," he told her. Julia's eyes widened. "And she's not the only one."

When William and Julia entered the cells it was quiet. Amelia was lying on the bed playing with her watch looking too comfortable. Connie was sitting cross legged on the bed, staring at the ground. She looked up as they entered but didn't say anything.

"Careful, Julia."

At the sound of her cousins name, Amelia sat up and ,for the first time ,she almost looked scared. Julia took a breath and William could see she was trying not shout at her younger relative. Instead, she said calmly, " We'll discuss this later. "

William opened the door to Connie's cell and asked her to come with him. She stood up but didn't move. She looked at him, then at Julia and then back to him. She felt out numbered.

"It's alright, Ms Wexler," Julia said reassuringly. Connie nodded and walked straight past William to Julia. "William, maybe I should handle this?"

"What about Amelia?" He asked.

"Amelia can wait-"

"I'm right here," Amelia said loudly but no one paid her any attention.

-"This can't. It's fine, William."

"It's my murder investigation," he argued, even though he knew it was a weak one.

"Murder," Connie repeated in small voice. "Who's been murdered?"

Julia leveled William with a look which read, _'Now look what you've done.'_


End file.
